Hon. Speaker of Nauru Parliament, Hon. Marcus Stephen
Acting President, Hon. Martin Hunt

Her Excellency Dr. Helen Cheney, Australian High Commissioner

His Excellency, Mr. Richard Griffith, New Zealand High Commissioner

Honorable Ministers, Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, participants, colleagues, and friends.

Greetings from Suva and a very good afternoon to you all.

I am delighted to be here with you today although virtually to share the stage with the Hon. Speaker, Members of Parliament, the Australian High Commissioner, the New Zealand High Commissioner and distinguished guests.

I would especially like to thank the Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Marcus Stephen, for his continued support and partnership with UNDP under the Nauru Accountable and Inclusive Governance project. 

The Nauru Accountable and Inclusive Governance (NAIG) Project aims to support key democratic institutions in Nauru, responsible for ensuring effective, inclusive and accountable political governance, namely the National Parliament and the National Elections Commission.

As part of UNDP’s ongoing support to enhance the capacity of the Nauru Parliament, today, I am pleased on behalf of UNDP to hand over the conferencing facilities, furniture, and Hansard equipment to the Nauru Parliament. 

This exercise is not simply about handing over equipment – it is more than that. It’s about ensuring that our Members of Parliament and the staff of Parliament will have proper access to the latest equipment and technology to participate in Conferences and Meetings virtually and deliver the much-needed services to the people of Nauru. 

In particular, the interactive facilities will create a platform of online access that will enable trainings, refreshers, consultations to enhance the capacity of the Nauru Parliament. 

As you all can see, with a purchase of more than US$100,000 the items include high-end 24 capacity conference table, 24 chairs and conferencing facilities. The Hansard equipment also include ICT equipment, desktops, to enhance the work of the Hansard department.  

The handover of equipment to the Nauru Parliament is a significant milestone that showcases the momentum that is building towards strengthening the parliamentary services for the benefit of all. 

Hon. Speaker, your support and guidance to the project demonstrates the highest level of commitment to strengthening the Parliament institution following the autonomy. 

I also acknowledge the commitment of the Government of Australia, the Government of New Zealand for their continued efforts to strengthening the key pillars of good governance in Nauru and across the region. 

To end, I would like to thank you all and appreciate the work that we are doing together to enhance knowledge and built capacity to keep elevating the quality of service the Parliament provides to Nauru and its people. 

Thank you, vinaka vakalevu.